It was found during the investigation by Bloomberg that 10-year-old children had been working in Burkina Faso cotton fields, which provide Victoria’s Secret factories with fibres.

Lingerie giant Victoria’s Secret responded to allegations about using child labor: Victoria’s Secret parent company Limited Brands Inc promised to investigate the claims as said in today’s statement.

Victoria’s Secret produced their Valentine collection from so-called “fair trade” and organic cotton from Burkina Faso back in 2009. Collection’s slogan said: “Good for women. Good for the children who depend on them.”

[The allegations] describe behavior contrary to our company’s values and the code of labor and sourcing standards we require all of our suppliers to meet. Our standards specifically prohibit child labor. We are vigorously engaging with stakeholders to fully investigate this matter.’’

Bloomberg reporters spent several weeks in the West African land-locked country talking to impoverished children who have not only been working for free but have suffered gross mistreatment at the hands of their employers and families.

Child labor is a widespread fact in Burkina Faso, which was ranked in 2011 the 181th place out of 187 countries in the United Nations Human Development Index.